A New Life
by TouGod
Summary: Ranma is transported to the Pokemon Universe and finally finds a place where he can belong. Better than it might sound. Rating to be safe.
1. Prologue

This is the disclaimer that never ends; it goes on and on my friends. Yes this is the disclaimer that never ends; it goes on and on my friend… (SLAM). Ouchies. No not the face. Ite! Okay, I don't own anything but the plot. Happy now? Sheesh!

Warning: There is mild language in this chapter. Akane lovers beware.

I changed some things in this chapter. Mainly Ash's mom's name, but I added a couple of things for detail's sake.

**

* * *

Prologue**

Ranma was sitting on the roof thinking about his life in general. He was thinking about all his fiancés and his rivals, his curse, the Neko-Ken, and his lack of a direction in life. He desperately wished for a change, but wasn't sure if he could make it all by himself. For so long, he has relied on his pops, following him around instead of striking out on his own. Looking back, he now knows that he should have left after Jusenkyo, but instead he stayed with his father. In his defense, it isn't really his fault. Sure, he has the power to kill a demi-god, but he has next to no social skills. All of his problems were traced back to his father.

"Ranma, dinner," said Kasumi as she walked out onto the porch.

"Alright Kasumi, I'll be right down," he said as he got up. He walked over to the edge and hopped down, twisting in mid-air so that he landed facing Kasumi. He followed Kasumi inside and sat in his usual spot, next to Akane. She immediately started glaring at him. He sighed and shook his head. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

After dinner, Ranma went out for a stroll. He had to get away from Akane before he did something he would regret. She had gotten really abusive lately. Ever since the failed wedding, she had gone over the top with her possessiveness. Whenever she didn't know where he was, the next time she saw him, she would yell at him and hit him for being out with one of his other fiancés.

Ranma was so caught up in his thoughts, that he almost missed seeing Happosai waiting for him on a bench.

"What are you doing here, old freak?" he asked wearily.

"I've noticed a change in you, Ranma," Happosai told him as he lit his pipe.

"What about it?"

"You aren't as cocky as you used to be. You seem… depressed," commented Happosai.

"Can I trust you?" asked Ranma as he sat down next to the diminutive Grandmaster.

"Sure thing, Ranma," replied Happosai as he let out a puff of smoke.

Ranma was suspicious of Happosai's behavior, but he need to talk to someone. "I want a change, old man. I don't think I can handle being in Nerima anymore. The only thing that changes around here is the amount of people out to marry or kill me," Ranma told him.

"I see. So, what are you going to do about it?" asked Happosai as he took another drag.

"I want to leave, but I don't know if I have the ability to leave," Ranma confided to him.

"Well, I have a solution. It happens to be the counterpart to the Nanban Mirror. It will allow you to travel through dimensions instead of time," said Happosai.

"Really? That's great!" Ranma exclaimed. He then grew suspicious. "Why would you give it to me?"

"Well, it's simple. Without you around, I can get all the panties that I want. Also, I can't seem to get the damn thing to work," he muttered the last part.

"Ok, let's do it. Where is it?" Ranma asked as he got up.

"Come with me, boy," said Happosai as he started roof-hopping away.

* * *

Later that night, Ranma sat on the roof again, this time looking at the mirror. It was about the same size as a hand mirror, but it was rectangular in shape. The frame was a silvery color, but with black lining. As he held it, streams of possibilities came to him. All the training he could do in so many different dimensions, it was almost overwhelming.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of a ladder being leaned against the side of the roof. He looked over and saw that it was Akane, undoubtedly coming to make sure that he wasn't out with Ukyo or Shampoo. He heard her walk over towards him and stop. He waited patiently for her to say something. Apparently, that was what she was doing too. Unfortunately, patience isn't one of her strong points.

"Well?" she asked.

"What are you talking about, Akane?" he asked tiredly.

"I've been standing here and you've just been ignoring me," she stated.

"Is there a reason that you came up here?" he asked her, wanting to get to the point.

"As a matter of fact, there is," she told him. "Where were you after dinner?"

"I went for a walk," he stated simply.

"Really, I find that hard to believe," she told him smugly.

"Believe what you want, Akane. I was out on a walk and I ran into Happosai. We got to talking and afterwards, he gave me this," he said as he showed her the mirror.

"The Nanban Mirror?" she asked in surprise.

"No, its counterpart," he corrected.

"Give it to me," she demanded.

"No," he replied.

"Give it to me before I get angry," she said.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked her as he stood up.

"W-what are you talking about?" she asked, shocked at his tone of voice.

"You think that you can just order me around, like a slave?" he asked, anger burning in his eyes.

"Ranma, your scaring me," said Akane as she backed away from him.

"Good," was all that he said as he turned away. He decided to do it now. He was going to leave while he still had the resolve to do it. He remembered what Happosai told him to do.

(Flashback)

"Now, you have to let a drop of your blood fall on the mirror. After that, all you have to do is make a heartfelt wish and it'll do the rest," Happosai told him as he handed Ranma the mirror.

(End Flashback)

Ranma quickly bite the inside of his lip and let a drop of blood fall onto the mirror. He watched as the mirror seemed to absorb the blood and start to glow. Akane watched in shock as Ranma did this. She then got very angry that he was trying to leave. She whipped out her largest mallet, one that was bigger than her and coated with titanium. She then started to charge him. As she got closer to him, she heard him make his wish.

"Take me to where I belong."

In a flash, all that was left of Ranma Saotome was the mirror. Which was quickly destroyed as Akane couldn't stop her swing. She watched in shock as the mirror shattered into a million pieces, just like her heart. The mallet fell from her limp fingers as she fell to her knees and started to cry.

* * *

In a parallel dimension, a certain Professor was checking the readings on one of his labs. Suddenly, one of the readings went through the roof. He had to shut down all sensors before they overloaded. He quickly ran to the lab and opened the door. Inside he found a young boy, about six years old, lying face down on the floor.

With a groan, Ranma woke up. He stood on shaky legs and looked around the room he was in. He heard a gasp and turned around. He saw an older man standing in the doorway; he looked to be in his late fifties. Ranma put his hand behind his head and smiled weakly.

"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."

**Two Months Later**

Ranma had been with Professor Oak for two months, learning all he could about this world he was in. At first he was upset that the mirror hadn't made the transition, but he was growing used to the idea of not going back. He found after the first week that he had a natural affinity for the strange creatures of this world called Pokèmon. They were like people, yet they weren't. He found that they made great training partners, and seeing as he was once again a child, he would need all the training he could get. He was just coming back from checking on a couple of Nidorans that had a virus when he met a very nice woman.

"Well hello there. Who are you?" she asked as he came into the room.

"This is the lad I was telling you about. His name is Ranma," said Professor Oak. He turned to Ranma. "Ranma, this is Mrs. Ketchum.

"Pleasure to meet ya," said Ranma as he gave a little bow. He then turned back to Professor Oak. "I gave the Nidorans the antidote you told me to. They didn't like it though." he said he as he showed the Professor a scratch that one of them had given him.

"Good work, Ranma. Why don't you go check on that injured Growlithe, alright?" Oak told Ranma.

"Ok, Prof." Ranma replied as he went to another part of the lab.

After Ranma had left, Professor Oak turned back to Mrs. Ketchum.

"So, Delia, what do you think?" he asked her.

"Oh, he is so adorable," she gushed. "You say that he has no parents?" she asked.

"Yes, he has no relatives," he told her.

"Well, we can't have that. I'm sure that Ash won't mind having an older brother," she said as she made up her mind.

"Are you certain, Delia? I'm sure that I can find someone else to take care of Ranma," said Professor Oak.

"Oh don't be silly, I'd love to take him in," she told him firmly.

* * *

They left to Viridian City to go about getting Ranma put on the Ketchum register. They came back later that day and gave Ranma the good news.

"Huh? Does this mean I have to leave?" asked Ranma after they told him that he'd being going to stay with Mrs. Ketchum.

"Yes, Ranma, but you're not going far. Delia lives just on the other side of town," Oak told Ranma.

"Well, in that case, when do I leave?" said Ranma.

"As soon as you get your things," replied Professor Oak.

Ranma was back in five minutes, having packed his meager possessions. As they were about to leave, Professor Oak stopped them and handed Ranma a small box.

"What's this?" asked Ranma.

"A present," was all that Professor Oak said.

Ranma quickly opened the box and pulled out what was inside. It was a pokeball. Ranma looked up at Oak in surprise.

"I didn't want you to be too lonely until you get acclimated to your new home," Professor Oak said in explanation.

Ranma smiled as he threw the pokeball.

"Pokeball go!"

As the light solidified, it revealed a Growlithe. As Ranma took a closer look, it turned out to be the injured Growlithe he had been taking care of for the last couple of weeks. With an excited bark, the Growlithe walked up to Ranma and put its paw on his leg. Ranma let out a laugh as he bent down and picked the puppy up. He then turned to Delia.

"Alright, 'Mom', lets go home."

* * *

Yes this is a Ranma/Pokemon crossover. I've read so many pathetic attempts, but have only read one or two good crossovers, like 'Fist of the Pikachu' by AnimeAddiction.  
I got so many reviews that I am definitely continuing this fic. Now, I want to know what Pokemon you all think Ranma should have. I will take a vote and use your votes to help me decide. The next chapter will be all about what happened in Nerima after Ranma left.

Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense.


	2. Chapter One

This is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends. Yes, this is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and… (SMACK) Ouch. No, not the head! Don't pull that! Why I ought ta… Ite! Okay, I don't own anything but the plot. Happy now? Sheesh! Hey, put away the chainsaw! Mommy!

This isn't going to be a long chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter One**

Akane had only stopped crying long enough to tell her family that Ranma was gone and wasn't coming back. She then locked herself in her room. There, she finally left everything come out. You see, she had in fact loved him. The problems came from her jealousy and her frustration at not being able to tell him.

Nabiki was shocked at first. She never expected him to have the balls to leave. Then she started to get upset. How dare he leave, he was her greatest source of income! Now what was she going to do to keep the Dojo in the black? She got a gleam in her eye as she left to use the telephone.

Kasumi's cheerful mask fell for a little bit. If anyone had bothered to look, they would have seen the face of someone who had lost a brother, for that is how she had felt about him. He was the brother that she never had. He was also one of the few people who would talk to her and treat her like a real person. Then she saw Nabiki head towards the telephone and she put her façade back up. They were about to have company.

The fathers', well Soun started crying like never before and Genma started bemoaning the gods as to why they gave him such an ungrateful child. Kami-sama didn't like that, so he decided to thin the lining of his stomach so that he'd have one very painful ulcer.

* * *

It was about two hours later, that everyone was seated in the Tendo house. Nabiki had charged ungodly high amounts for this information, but she had assured everyone that it was worth it (Nodoka wasn't charged, of course). Once everyone was seated and Kasumi had finished passing around refreshments, Nabiki stood up to give the bad news.

"As of two-and-a-half hours ago, Ranma Saotome is no longer in this world," she told them solemnly.

"What?" shouted almost everyone.

"Is Ranchan dead?" asked a teary Ukyo.

"No, he just left using the Nanban Mirror's counterpart," clarified Nabiki.

"But the Nanban Mirror has no counterpart," said Cologne, confused as to what Nabiki was talking about.

"Well, apparently, Happosai gave Ranma what he claimed to be the Nanban's counterpart," said Nabiki calmly.

As one, everyone turned to where Happosai was sitting. He chuckled nervously and then tried to give them his most innocent look. No one bought it, so he sighed in defeat.

"It's true that I gave Ranma the mirror, as well as saying that it was the Nanban's counterpart," he told everyone.

"Why? Why you lie to Airen?" asked Shampoo, who was on the brink of breaking down in tears.

"Because he kept interfering with my plans!" Happosai yelled in anger. "That little brat didn't show any respect for the founder of his style. He never posed for me and was always disrupting my panty raids. I had to do something to get rid of him, so I waited until he was so depressed he'd do anything to get away from this mess he called his life. Then I suggested the Nanban's counterpart. He was suspicious at first, but I got him to use it. Now he can never return!"

"Well, we'll just go and bring him back!" said Ukyo confidently.

"You can't, especially after Akane destroyed it," Happosai told them evilly.

"Great-Grandmother, you can fix it, yes?" asked Shampoo hopefully.

Cologne just shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shampoo, but Happosai is correct. If it had been cracked like the real Nanban Mirror then we could go and bring Son-in-Law back, but Akane smashed it into too many pieces. It has lost all of its magic," she told them all sadly.

Her face then hardened as the girls started crying and the boys started partying. Her gaze found its way over to the smug Happosai. She would have her revenge.

* * *

Later, after everyone had left, Happosai decided to go for a late night panty raid. His bag was half-way full with stolen panties when his danger sense went through the roof. He quickly dropped his bag and took up a defensive stance. His eyes darted around, looking for anything unusual. His eyes widened when he saw Cologne walking towards him, her staff slung over her shoulder. He gulped when he saw her face. She looked PISSED!

"Hello, Happi," she said as she got within ten feet of him.

"Nice night isn't it, Cologne?" he replied.

"A good night to die," she told him.

This shocked him beyond words. Sure she has always been after him for stealing her village's treasures, but she had never been so serious.

"Let's finish what we started all those many years ago, Happi," she told him firmly.

"As you wish, Khul-chan," said Happosai as he got back into his defensive stance.

The two of them waited, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Then Happosai darted forward, hoping to make this a short fight. However, Cologne moved forward at the same speed, both of them blurring. All one could hear for the next two minutes was the sounds of pipe hitting staff, as each fighter struggled to win.

Happosai was starting to get scared. Since when was Cologne this good? He broke away from the fight to take a quick breather, Cologne doing the same. He noticed that she had tears in her eyes.

"Why, Happi? Why did you give him the Blood Mirror?" she asked.

"It was the only way to make sure that he didn't come back," Happosai replied.

"But now I have to kill you, Happi," she told him. "Why couldn't you have waited for him to leave on his own accord?"

"Because he was never going to leave," he nearly shouted.

Cologne just shook her head at his ignorance. Even she had seen that it was only a matter of time before Ranma left for good. She let out a sad sigh.

"Let's finish this," she told him as she started to glow, her white aura streaked with red and green, as her anger and depression showed in her aura.

Happosai nodded as he too started to glow, his aura mainly yellow with streaks of red.

They both disappeared from normal sight as they both moved too fast to be seen. Like before, all that was heard was Cologne's staff hitting Happosai's pipe. However, this time, one of them wasn't going to walk away.

Time slowed down for Happosai as Cologne poured on the speed and disappeared from his sight. Suddenly, he felt her appear behind him and a burning sensation formed on his back as she struck his Moxibustion Pressure Point. He fell to the ground in front of a frowning Cologne, too weak to even move.

"I wish that we could have settled this differently," he whispered.

"As do I," she told him as she slung him over her shoulder and walked back to the Nekohaten. There, the rest of the Council would handle things, as they had arrived not two days prior to check on her progress in getting Ranma into the tribe. They were the ones who had demanded Happosai's death. She would have preferred just leaving him useless for the rest of his life.

Happosai was never seen again.

* * *

There, now you know what happened afterwards. The rest of the story will follow Ranma. That means no more Nerima. I still want to know what Pokèmon you think Ranma should have.

Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense.


	3. Chapter Two

This is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends. Yes, this is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and… (SMACK) Ouch. No, not the head! Don't pull that! Why I ought ta… Ite! Okay, I don't own anything but the plot. Happy now? Sheesh! Hey, put away the chainsaw! Mommy!

I got a couple of reviews that said that this chapter was too short, so I lengthened it a little. I also made it so that you can understand the Pokèmon too.

Thanks for your votes. Keep on sending them, but now I need your votes on whom Ranma should be paired with.

* * *

"Speech"

/Pokèmon Translation/

**

* * *

Chapter Two**

Ranma smiled as he woke up. It had been five years already since he had been adopted by Mrs. Ketchem and he had loved every day of it. Ash was only two years old when he moved in, but now he was seven. Ranma had started to teach him martial arts last year and he was doing great. Ranma stretched lazily as he got up. He didn't need to hurry as he had already gotten his first Pokèmon years ago. Growlithe, who he had renamed Guardian after he had protected him from a small flock of sparrows, was his best friend and a great training partner. Through dedication and training, Ranma had managed to lessen his weakness to water to the point that Guardian could now go swimming. He couldn't swim for very long, but that's not the point. His fire attacks were now very powerful and his speed was amazing. Ranma was considering getting a fire stone so that he could evolve, but he wasn't going to worry about that for now. Now all he had to do was go pick up his pokèdex and his first set of pokèballs.

* * *

Ranma stepped out of the shower and started to get dressed. After he put on his underwear and socks, he put on his black jeans and black combat boots (steel-toed of course). Then he slipped into an undershirt and then pulled on his favorite red tee-shirt. And the final piece of clothing was his new black leather jacket. It was his eleventh birthday gift from his mom. He looked in the mirror and smirked. He looked good! After five years of intense training, he was back in peak performance and fitness. You could actually see his six-pack underneath his shirt. Ranma was about to leave his room when he remembered Ash's birthday gift to him. He smiled as he pulled on his black finger-less gloves and secured them. He then clenched his fist and smirked at the sound they made as the material tightened.

"Ranma, breakfast," Mrs. Ketchem called from downstairs.

"Coming," replied Ranma as he hopped over the banister and did a forward roll into the dining room. He then calmly walked over to the table and sat down, but not before bowing to Ash, who was clapping at his little show.

"Hey bro, you ready for some training later?" Ranma asked him.

'Yeah!" exclaimed Ash as he started to inhale his breakfast as quickly as possible.

"Easy there, Ashy-boy. Don't forget, I have to get my stuff from the Professor first," Ranma reminded him. He started to laugh at the sorrowful look Ash gave him, but remained firm.

"Professor first, training later."

* * *

Ranma calmly walked into Professor Oak's lab and set about his daily chores. First he prepped the lab for whatever he might need to do later, and then he went and checked on the injured or sick Pokèmon. One particular Pokèmon was always getting sick, it was a Kangaskan that one trainer caught but never used. Ranma didn't get that. Why catch a Pokèmon if you aren't going to use it and train it? He gave her an antidote for the cold that she had caught and put her back into quarantine.

Next on his list was a pair of Nidorinos that had hurt each other in a fight for dominance. He applied bandages and healing potions, and then started to talk to them. He had found out a few years ago that he could sort of understand Pokèmon. Most of the time, he could only understand bits and pieces of what they were saying, but as time went by, he got better and better at understanding them. Now he had little difficulty understanding them. It took him about half-an-hour to get thing settled between them, but it was worth it. They promised not to fight again, at least not as bad as before.

* * *

Ranma was about to move onto the next Pokèmon on his list when Professor Oak stopped him.

"Ranma, there you are. I've been looking all over for you," said Professor Oak.

"What's up, Prof.?" asked Ranma.

"Well I still need to give you your things," said Professor Oak as he smiled.

"Oh, ok. Lead on," Ranma said with an elaborate bow.

* * *

After getting his Pokèdex and his first six Pokèballs, Ranma went back to work. A few hours later, he was done. All his patients were on the mend and he had talked to some trouble makers. A quick showing of why you didn't mess with him and they quickly agreed not to cause anymore problems for him. He was packing up his things when Professor Oak sent him a message on his Pokèdex. Apparently there was an injured Pokèmon out in the forest and he needed Ranma to go and bring it back to the lab for treatment. He sighed but did as he was told. The normal time for someone to run to the edge of the forest was ten to fifteen minutes. Ranma made it in five.

* * *

Ranma was having a difficult time finding the injured Pokèmon so he decided to cheat a little. He spread out his ki senses and started looking for a weak ki signature. His eyes snapped open when he detected it. It wasn't very far, but it was very weak. Ranma poured on the speed as he hurried to where the Pokèmon was. He slowed down when he saw an injured Pikachu. It was in bad shape. It looked to Ranma that it had been attacked by a group of bird type Pokèmon, probably Spearow. As he looked around, his suspicions were confirmed as he saw five knocked out Spearow. He decided to ignore those Pokèmon and he concentrated on the injured Pikachu. He was about to start bandaging its wounds, when it woke up.

* * *

The injured Pikachu was wondering who was touching him. He looked up and was shocked to see that it was a human that was touching him. He started to get angry because he didn't want to be captured by a stupid human. The human stepped back as his cheek pouches started to spark, but when he started to move, the human merely touched a point on his body and he suddenly couldn't move. Through his haze of anger, the Pikachu heard the human say something.

"Hey relax; I'm not going to capture you. I'm here to help you," it told him.

Pikachu scoffed, he wasn't stupid. He strained against what the human had done to him.

"Stop that! You're going to aggravate your condition," Ranma warned him. He sighed as he knew what he was going to have to do. It was times like this that he wished that he hadn't left Guardian at home. Ranma slowly and carefully reached down to his belt. When Pikachu saw this, he started charging his cheek pouches even more. Ranma saw this and made his next move a little exaggerated. He unhooked his belt and tossed it to the side, far away from the injured Pikachu.

That actually shocked it into relaxing. A human that didn't want to capture a weak and defenseless Pokèmon. Absurd, yet here was the proof as the human went back to treating his wounds with expert precision.

"Pika…chu," /What a …weird human./ he managed to get out.

"Don't I know it," muttered the human.

This shocked him even more. The human had understood him! He decided to let the human take care of him, unless he pulled out one of those Pokèballs, then he would be on the receiving end of his Thundershock.

Ranma let out a sigh of relief as the injured Pikachu settled down. He had to resort to using a pressure point on it so that it wouldn't hurt itself further. After bandaging him, he picked the injured Pokèmon up, as well as his belt, and started running back to the lab. He could see the surprise in its eyes at how fast he was going.

"Relax; this is actually slow for me. You'll be fine," he assured it.

If that statement did anything, it shocked the little Pokèmon even more.

* * *

Ranma made it back to the lab ten minutes later and placed the injured Pokèmon in one of the treatment rooms. He then sent a message to Professor Oak to come to the room before setting about getting the required equipment. Professor Oak came into the room and gasped.

"What happened to it?" he asked as he rushed to help Ranma.

"A flock of Spearow attacked him. He managed to take down five of them though," Ranma told the Professor as he started to change the wrappings.

They both worked hard to keep the Pikachu in a stable condition. After two long hours, they were sure that he'd be alright.

* * *

Ranma came home and just plopped himself down on the couch. All he wanted to do was just relax. Pity.

"Ranma!" yelled a human cannonball as it landed on his stomach.

"Hey, Squirt," said Ranma as he held Ash upside-down.

"You're late," Ash said with a pout.

"We had an injured Pikachu called in. So Professor Oak sent me and…" Ranma said as he started to tell Ash the whole story. About five minutes later Ash was yelling how cool his big brother was.

"Alright, Squirt, time to train," Ranma said as he got up.

"Yippee!" shouted Ash as he raced to his room to change into his training outfit. All Ranma did was take off his jacket and shirt, leaving him only with his black undershirt on; along with his pants of course. Ranma walked out to the backyard and started warming up. He was joined by Ash two minutes later. They then proceeded to practice. Ranma had decided while warming up to start to teach Ash Anything Goes. He didn't care that he didn't have a license to teach, or Happosai's permission. He was in another dimension so the rules don't count when it comes to Anything Goes. As far as anyone else is concerned, Ranma created Anything Goes Martial Arts. Besides, with all the changes he had made to it from his experiences, it was almost an entirely different style. He'd already taught Guardian a variant of Anything Goes to help in his training.

"Alright, Ash, today you start learning Anything Goes Martial Arts."

* * *

It was almost three months later that the Pikachu was healthy enough to leave. Ranma was pretty sad because he had gotten to be friends with him while he took care of him. So it was with tears in his eyes that Ranma took Pikachu back to the forest, where he belonged.

"Ok, Pikachu, you're free to go," Ranma told him.

"Pika, Pi Pikachu. Pi Chu Pi Pika!" /No way, I'm staying. I don't want to leave./ said Pikachu.

You see, Pikachu had grown attached to Ranma as well and he didn't want to leave. Here was the first decent human that he had ever met and he could understand him as well. He treated him well and respected him. Pikachu had decided that he was staying.

"But you belong in the forest, with your own kind," said Ranma, not wanting to show how much he wanted to keep Pikachu. For crying out loud, he was trying to do the right thing.

"Pikachu! Chu Pi Pika Pikachu," /I'm staying! I don't want to go back./ said a very determined Pikachu.

"Alright, if you want to stay that much, I guess you can," Ranma told him as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Pikachu!" /Alright/ said Pikachu, very happy that he was going to stay with his new friend.

Ranma then took out a pokeball. He looked into Pikachu's eyes to see if he really wanted to do this. He saw respect and the need for this in the little Pokèmon's eyes.

"Pokeball go," was all Ranma said as he tossed out the pokeball.

Pikachu didn't even put up a struggle as the ball hit him and he was turned into energy. The light on the ball immediately turned from red to white and the ball floated back to Ranma. As he caught the ball, tears came back to his eyes.

"Welcome to the team, buddy."

* * *

Alright, I choose Pikachu because I love that little rat. Still collecting your votes.

Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense.


	4. Chapter Three

This is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends. Yes, this is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and… (SMACK) Ouch. No, not the head! Don't pull that! Why I ought ta… Ite! Okay, I don't own anything but the plot. Happy now? Sheesh! Hey, put away the chainsaw! Mommy!

Thank you all for your votes. I think that I got enough to continue, but I will continue to accept your votes. I still need votes on pairings though. These are the current girls that I'm thinking of:

Laura Laramie

Ia, Koga's sister.

Sabrina

Jeanette Fisher

Erika, the Gym Leader

Any other girls I will think about, but not May or Misty. They are too young.

**

* * *

Chapter Three**

It had been two weeks since Pikachu had decided to stay with Ranma. Ranma started training Pikachu, and Pikachu took to the training like a fish to water. Pikachu was quite adept at Anything Goes, but he still lost four falls out of five against Guardian. Ranma had also stepped up Ash's training as he was doing very well. He still couldn't handle certain parts, but he was doing well enough. Ranma decided, since Ash was doing so well, that he'd take him fishing as a break from training.

"Really? When?" asked Ash excitedly.

"Well, as soon as we can get our stuff, we can… go," Ranma told the dust cloud where Ash had been.

Ranma just shook his head as he watched Ash disappear in the direction of their house. He looked around and, seeing that no one was around, jumped onto the roof of the nearest house and started roof-hopping. As he was heading back, he saw Ash running full speed and smirked as he sped up to get home first.

* * *

Ash was panting as he arrived at the house, but he was sure that he had managed to arrive before Ranma. So his surprise was complete when he saw Ranma come from around a corner carrying their fishing supplies.

"How… how did you get back first?" he asked in surprise.

"Huh? Oh, I ran," Ranma told him as he handed Ash his stuff.

"But…but…but…" Ash sputtered.

"Come on, Ash. Let's get going," Ranma told him as he headed out the gate. "Come on, Guardian, Pikachu."

Two forms, one red and black, the other yellow, ran out of the house. The yellow one, turning out to be Ranma's Pikachu, ran up Ranma's leg and sat on his head. The red and black one was Guardian, Ranma's Growlithe, stopped at Ranma's feet and growled at Pikachu, who just gave him a raspberry in reply. Ranma sighed and pulled Pikachu off his head and looked him in the eye.

"What did you do now?" Ranma asked him.

"Pika." /Nothing./ Pikachu replied, trying to look innocent.

"Uh huh, nothing. Guardian?" Ranma asked.

As Guardian barked and yipped his reply, Ranma listening carefully to make sure he didn't miss anything. After Guardian was done, Ranma turned back to Pikachu.

"Nothing indeed. Now, why did you shock him?" Ranma asked, barely hiding his growing smile.

"Pi Pikachu Pika Chu Pi. Pika Pikachu Pika Chu Ka," /He was too busy eating when you called. So I shocked him a little to get his attention./ replied Pikachu.

After Pikachu's curt reply, Ranma could no longer hide his smile. "Alright, just don't do it too often, alright?"

"Pika,"/Sure./ Pikachu nodded as he replied.

Ranma then looked down at Guardian. "Just think of it as training, okay?" he told the Growlithe.

"Arf." /Ok./

* * *

It took the small group fifteen minutes to walk to the beach and set up. Ranma was still wary around water, but ever since the transition, he hadn't changed at all. The problem was that he still felt the magic of Jusenkyo within him. Ranma didn't know what that meant, but he knew that Jusenkyo wasn't done with him. Ranma shrugged off those thoughts and cast his line into the water and sat back. Next to him, Ash did the same thing. Neither of them said a word, both of them just relaxing. In the background, Guardian was chasing Pikachu after having been tripped and taking a nosedive into the sand. After a little while, they both collapsed and leaned against each other, exhausted.

Ranma was just about to doze off when he felt a tug on his pole. He quickly sat up and started to reel in the line. As soon as the line got short enough, Ranma saw what was attached and smiled. It was a Magikarp and it was splashing hard. As soon as it was on the sand Ranma took out his Pokèdex. After hearing the info on it he called for Pikachu. When Pikachu didn't come up to fight, Ranma looked back to see what was keeping him. A sweatdrop formed when he saw that Pikachu was sound asleep. He shrugged and walked up to the flailing Pokèmon and slammed his fist against its head. It instantly stopped flailing as it slipped into unconsciousness. As Ranma took out a pokeball, Ash spoke up.

"Isn't Magikarp really weak?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it'll be extremely powerful when it evolves," Ranma told him. Ranma then threw the pokeball. "Pokeball go!"

The pokeball struck the fainted Pokèmon and turned it into energy. The pokeball fell to the ground and shook a couple of times before going still and the red light turned to white. Ranma calmly walked over and picked up the pokeball before shrinking it and attaching it to his belt. He then turned back to Ash.

"So, you catch anything?"

* * *

As Ash continued to fish, Ranma checked out his new Pokèmon. Aside from the bruise that had formed from where Ranma had hit the Pokèmon, it was in great health. Ranma knew that it was surprised at being beaten by a human instead of a Pokèmon. He smirked at the confusion in its eyes. He then turned serious.

"If you want to go back to the wild, I'll let you," he told it as he looked it straight in the eye.

This surprised the Magikarp even more. She had heard of honorable Trainers, but she had never expected to meet one. Most trainers didn't want to even bother with a Magikarp, so almost all of the trainers that had caught her on a line threw her back, saying that she was too weak. But now this trainer, who had beaten her himself without using his Pokèmon, wanted to know if she wanted to return to the ocean. She thought about it for about two seconds and wiggled her body while saying, "Karp, Magikarp Karp." /No, I want to stay. /

She felt warmth spread through her when he smiled and she knew that she had made the right choice.

Ranma knew that with proper training, he'd have a great addition to his team. He felt a little nervous with having water Pokèmon on his team, but he'd get over it. The fact of the matter was that he now had a valuable partner and friend.

* * *

An hour later found them packing up their equipment. Ash had caught a couple of Magikarp, but as he wasn't old enough to train he threw them back. The two highlights of the day were Ranma's catching his Magikarp and when a Krabby pinched Ash's foot and wouldn't let go. When Ranma finally stopped laughing, he had Pikachu shock it. That got the Krabby to let go just as Ash was trying to kick it off, sending it flying into the ocean. Ash was both happy and sad, happy because the Krabby was off his foot and sad because he was now a little crispy. He twitched a little before falling to the ground. Ranma laughed as he helped Ash to his feet and dusted him off. They hadn't caught anything after that so they packed things up and headed home.

* * *

Time passes as all things do and Ranma's 12th birthday was coming up quickly. Delia was planning on having a big party, well as big as you can have in a small town. Ranma on the other hand wanted a small party, just his family and his Pokèmon. Professor Oak was invited since he was practically family. Delia went out to get a big cake for Ranma, Ash having disappeared to get his present for Ranma, and Professor Oak was coming back from Viridian City.

The moment was almost upon them as they just waited for the Professor to arrive. The cake was ready, the decorations set, and the birthday boy was being distracted by his brother. Yup, everything was in place except the wayward Professor. Finally he arrived, breathless because he ran from his lab. He was getting too old for this.

* * *

Ranma was outside training with Ash. He knew that his mom had planed a surprise party for him, but he was playing ignorant. That brought back memories of Nerima and his letting Nabiki manipulate him. Oh well, no sense living in the past. He ended the training by throwing Ash into one of the many trees in the yard. Ash had gotten tough enough lately that he could easily handle being thrown around.

"Good job, Squirt. You're doing better with your high kicks, just be sure to keep your defenses up, okay?" Ranma told Ash as he helped him up.

"Alright, Bro. Hey, lets go inside. I'm really thirsty," said Ash as he brushed some dirt off his clothes.

Together they went inside, talking about how to properly perform a high spinning axe kick, when Delia and Professor Oak jumped out of hiding.

"SURPRISE!" they yelled as Pikachu pulled a party popper and Guardian barked in happiness.

Ranma smirked. "What's the occasion?" he asked.

"Why, it's your birthday, silly," said Delia as she pulled him in for a hug.

"Yeah, I know. I was just messing around," Ranma told her as he hugged her back.

"Happy Birthday, Ranma," said Professor Oak as he shook Ranma's hand.

"Thanks, Prof. I hope you had a good trip," Ranma told him as he took a seat at the table while Delia went to get the cake.

"I did," the Professor replied as he too sat. "I got everything taken care of that I needed too." As he told that to Ranma, he got a strange gleam in his eye, as if he knew something that Ranma didn't.

"I'll be right back," said Ash as he headed towards the stairs. "I have to go change."  
"Don't be too long, Squirt. Mom won't like it if your late for the cake," Ranma warned him.

"Alright," came Ash's voice from the top of the stairs.

* * *

Delia came into the room five minutes later with the cake, just as Ash came down the stairs holding a wrapped present. Ranma smiled as he looked around at his family, not people claiming to be his family. He couldn't help but compare what he had here with what he had in Nerima. There was no comparison. He had a life of his own here, as well as family and friends that loved him unconditionally. A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek before he wiped it away. He smiled brightly at everyone before blowing out his candles. He didn't even make a wish as he had everything that he needed.

After everyone had cake, Ranma got to open his presents. He got clothes from his mom, as well as a ton of boxers. From Ash, he got a fire stone, for when he wanted Guardian to evolve. Ranma gave Ash a big hug after opening his gift because he knew that fire stones weren't cheap. From Professor Oak, he got a new Pokèdex. Ranma looked at the Professor curiously.

"But Professor, I already have a Pokèdex," he told him.

"Why don't you open it," Professor Oak told him in reply.

Ranma shrugged and opened it. A robotic voice spoke up.

"I am Dextron, recording device and license to Ranma Saotome Ketchum. Ranma Ketchum is a licensed Pokèmon Handler and can carry as many Pokèmon as he wants. He can only use six Pokèmon per battle though," said Dextron.

Ranma looked up at the Professor in shock. This was quite a gift. Not many people were allowed to carry more than six Pokèmon at a time. To be a Handler was what Ranma had wanted to be ever since he had heard about them. They were a mix of a Pokèmon Trainer, Breeder, and Healer. Just what Ranma was meant to be. He gave the Professor a big hug and thanked him profusely.

"Ranma… air," gasped the Professor as he started turning blue.

"Oh, sorry," said Ranma as he let go and stepped back.

* * *

"So, when are you going to go on your journey?" asked Oak later on that evening.

"I don't know, when I'm ready maybe," replied Ranma as he pet both Guardian and Raigeki, Pikachu's new name.

"Well, I happen to think that you're ready. Most Trainers leave when they are ten, but you didn't because of your 'special condition'. I don't know why you haven't yet, nor am I asking, but I think that you should do it," Professor Oak told Ranma. "And don't worry about me, I found someone who can help me at the lab."

"Really? Who?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

"Why Ash, of course. I admit, he doesn't have your gift, but he wants to learn and he has potential," said Professor Oak as he took a sip of Delia's homemade lemonade.

"Hmm," Ranma said as he thought about it. His wanderlust had been bothering him for a while, but he had stayed because he was helping the Professor at the lab. He also couldn't leave when he was in the middle of training Ash, but now Ash was at a point where he could start teaching himself through experience.

"You know what? I think I'll do it. I'll go on a journey to better myself and my Pokèmon," said Ranma finally.

"Good for you, Ranma. I wish you the best of luck. Now, I have to get back to the lab before Gary destroys something valuable," said Oak as he stood up.

"That kid needs a smack on the head," muttered Ranma.

"I heard that," Professor Oak told him. "But I agree; he is a little too arrogant."

"Good-night, Professor," said Ranma.

"Good-night, Ranma," replied Professor Oak.

* * *

I was going to make this chapter a little shorter, but I just couldn't stop writing. The only good thing about being sick is that you get a lot of time to write. I want to know if anyone has any good ideas. If you do, send me them. If you don't, don't. As for updates, don't expect any in the near future. I'm working more hours and my schedule is packed for a while. This is going to be the last update for at least a week or two. It might take me longer.

Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense.


	5. Chapter Four

This is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends. Yes, this is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and… (SMACK) Ouch. No, not the head! Don't pull that! Why I ought ta… Ite! Okay, I don't own anything but the plot. Happy now? Sheesh! Hey, put away the chainsaw! Mommy!

* * *

Votes: 

Sabrina – 21

Erika – 2

Laura – 2

Ia – 3

Jeanette – 3

Multiple Girls - 6

**

* * *

Chapter Four **

As Ranma walked away from Pallet Town, he took one last look at the place that had become his home. Sure he'd miss it, but he could no longer curb his wanderlust. All he took with him was his backpack filled with lots of supplies, his three Pokèmon, his clothes, a staff that he made from an Oak tree limb, and his brand new hat. It was a gift from Gary, of all people. The hat had a wide brim, was black in color, and was made from soft, supple leather (Think Indiana Jones).  
Gary had given it to him as a thank-you for saving his butt when he picked on the wrong kid. That kid had an older brother who didn't like that Gary picked on his little brother. So he cornered Gary and was about to beat him into a pulp, when Ranma stepped in and saved him. He settled it with a little fight, and after he was done showing off, he knocked the kid out with a pressure point.

* * *

Ranma made good time to Viridian City since he wasn't bothered by any Pokèmon. He took his time getting there though. He spent a day trying to teach Magikarp how to stay upright. It was tough, and required a lot of patience, but he managed to succeed. She could now stay upright for periods of time. Next on his agenda was to teach her how to dodge attacks, then how to attack. It would take a long time though.

* * *

Ranma sighed and shook his head as the fish Pokèmon just flopped around. He then perked up as he got an idea. 

"Wait, Magikarp, wait. This time, slam your head and tail against the ground as hard as you can," he told her.

"Karp, Karp Magikarp." /Ok, whatever you say. / said Magikarp as she did as she was told.

When she slammed her head and tail on the ground, she launched herself into the air.

Ranma smiled as he watched this happen. He then did phase two.

"Alright, Body Slam!" he yelled.

Magikarp started to glow slightly as she approached the ground. When she hit, there was a loud explosion as dust filled the air. The only sound was that of Magikarp cheering her own success. As the dust cleared, Ranma got his first look at the result of the first Body Slam from a Magikarp. There was a crater five feet wide and one foot deep, surrounded by cracks and debris. In the very center, was Magikarp, flopping around in happiness. Ranma ran over to her to check if she was alright. After making sure that she hadn't hurt herself from the attack, he looked over at his other two Pokèmon. Both of them had shocked looks on their faces and their jaws were on the ground. Ranma turned back to Magikarp, pride showing on his face.

"Now who would have thought that a Magikarp could learn how to do Body Slam?" he said with wonder.

* * *

The rest of the second day of training was spent perfecting that technique and working on defense. As Ranma walked in to the town, he silently thanked Mousse for showing him how to use Hidden Weapons. He didn't know that he had taught Ranma, but that wasn't the point. Ranma only carried his supplies in his backpack. His valuables he carried in subspace via Hidden Weapons. As he walked down the street, he mentally inventoried his supplies. He had enough medical supplies to treat anything but serious wounds. Mild to medium wounds were okay, but he'd need to restock afterwards. He had about a months worth of food, after that he'd need to restock or hunt for his food. He didn't need clothes either. His mom gave him enough to last him a long time before he needed new ones and that would be because he got too big for them. But he need more Pokèballs, he only had four left. As he looked around for a store, something sinister was happening not too far away.

* * *

"Have you located it yet?" asked a man, his face hidden by shadows. 

"Yes, sir, we have. It is currently headed our way and will reach the city limits in twenty minutes. Three teams have already been sent out to capture it," said one of his technicians.

"Send out four more teams," he told them. "I want this Pokèmon captured. I will not tolerate failure!"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Butch, Cassidy, report," ordered a voice coming from a radio. 

A young man reached down and picked up the radio. He had green hair that fell down almost to his eyes and had a mean look to his face. As he raised the radio to his mouth, he began to speak in a very gravelly voice.

"Nothing to report, central," he told them.

"Be advised, the Pokèmon is headed in your direction. Proceed with caution," came the voice again.

"Roger, central. Butch out," he said as he lowered the radio and clipped it to his belt. He then turned to his partner. Remind me why we are out here. We just joined six months ago."

His partner was a beautiful blonde girl who had her hair done into two long ponytails, and had bangs that reached to her eyes. She turned and looked him in the eyes.

"We are here to do as the Boss tells us to. We must have made an impression on the people upstairs for them to trust us enough to send us out to do such an important job," she told him, pride clear in her voice.

Just then, their radio crackled to life again.

"Be advised, we are sending four more teams to assist you," said the voice.

Butch spoke up, "Or it could be that they need every person they could get to capture this Pokèmon."

Cassidy just nodded her head and said nothing.

* * *

Ranma smiled as he headed out of the Pokèmon Center. That girl Joy was really cute. He could see that she was interested in him, but he didn't have time to stick around. He wanted to reach Pewter City by the end of the week and it was already Wednesday. So he just shouldered his pack and head north, towards the forest. However, he was about half-way through the city when a police motorcycle rolled up next to him. A young woman stepped off and removed her helmet before turning to face him. 

"You know, you can't just go walking around with that Growlithe unleashed. It'll have to either be on a leash or in a pokeball," she told him firmly.

"Why? He isn't bothering anyone and he's very well trained," said Ranma.

"It's a little thing called the law," she replied superiorly. "You might have heard of it."

Ranma looked down at Guardian. He knew that he should do as she said, but he couldn't resist the chance to take her down a peg or twenty. He looked back at her, his patented smirk on his face. His smirk was calculated to piss off anyone it was directed at. Sure enough, Officer Jenny started to get upset.

"Tell you what, Officer, I'll battle you to see what happens. If I win, I don't have to put a leash on Guardian. If you win, I leash him," Ranma offered.

Officer Jenny gave him a smirk of her own. "You know, I shouldn't accept, but I can't resist the chance to put a punk kid like you in your place," she told him as she motioned for her Growlithe to get out of the sidecar attached to her motorcycle. She looked back at Ranma. "I assume that you'll be using your Growlithe as well. Am I correct?"

Ranma looked down at Guardian. He was more than willing to fight for Ranma, but Ranma had a better idea.

"Hey pal, how about letting our new friend fight?" he asked Guardian as he knelt next to him.

Guardian thought about it for a little bit before barking his agreement. He wanted to see this arrogant female put in her place as well.

"Well?" asked an impatient Jenny.

Ranma stood back up and turned to face her.

"I'm not going to use Guardian here. I'm afraid that he's just too strong for your little puppy," he told her as he took one of his pokèballs and enlarged it. "Instead, I'll use this one."

Ranma threw the pokèball and watched the light solidify into his Magikarp. He caught the ball as it returned to him.

When Jenny saw what she was going to be facing, she broke out into laughter, as did everyone else who was watching. It appeared that their little standoff had attracted a lot of attention. Ranma just smirked at them as he knew that appearances could be deceiving.

"You've got to be kidding," gasped out Jenny as she started to recover from her laughter.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Officer," Ranma warned her.

"Enough. Growlithe, Tackle that Magikarp!" she commanded her Growlithe.

"Arf!" /Okay/ said the puppy as she rushed forward.

Ranma waited until she was three feet away.

"Magikarp, evade," Ranma simply said.

Magikarp did a funny little wiggle, but sure enough, she moved out of the path of danger. The Growlithe yelped in surprise as her target moved at the last moment and she slid to a stop.

Jenny blinked in surprise, but passed it off as luck.

"Growlithe, Tackle again!"

Again the Growlithe charged at the Magikarp only to find herself missing as it moved away. This time, Ranma called out to his Magikarp.

"Tail Slap!" Magikarp stopped flopping around and smacked Growlithe with her tail, causing the puppy to flinch and back away.

Jenny was getting frustrated.

"Growlithe, Take Down!" The Growlithe lowered her head and charged, a white glow surrounding her. Ranma just waited patiently until the time was right.

"Magikarp, Evade!" he called out suddenly.

Growlithe slid to a stop before turning around to receive a tail to the face. She growled before charging again.

This cycle continued for five minutes, until Ranma noticed that his opponent's Pokèmon was getting tired. He decided to end this. On the Growlithe's next charge, he called out a different command.

"Ok, Magikarp, jump!" he told her.

Jenny scoffed. "Magikarp can't jump," she told him.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he asked as Magikarp slammed her head and tail on the ground.

Officer Jenny's eyes widened in shock as the fish Pokèmon suddenly became airborne. Her mouth dropped at her opponent's next command.

"Magikarp, Body Slam!" he called out.

She watched in shock as the Magikarp started to glow slightly as it descended. She realized with a start, that her Growlithe was still charging.

"No, Growlithe, STOP!" she yelled in desperation.

But it was too late. The Magikarp collided with her Growlithe and the puppy went down for the count. The Magikarp flopped into an upright position and watched to make sure that her opponent wasn't getting back up. Once she was sure that the Growlithe was knocked out, she flopped back onto her side and started flopping around again, this time in celebration.

Jenny fell to her knees. Her precious Growlithe beaten by a Magikarp of all things. The audience was just as shocked as her. No one had ever seen something like that before. Ranma calmly called Magikarp back to her pokèball before heading over to his defeated opponent.

Jenny was still in a state of shock when he got to her. He sighed as he realized that he had more thanaccomplished his goal. He had brought her delusions of invincibility crashing down in flames. He knelt down next to her and waved a hand in front of her face. That brought her attention back to the present.

"I don't believe it," she whispered.

Ranma just shook his head and sighed. "Everyone loses sometimes, even the best of us," he told her softly. "There will always be someone out there stronger than you. I learned that the hard way."

She looked up at him curiously. "But you're just a kid," she told him.

"Looks can be deceiving. I've been through more than you could think," he said somberly.

This confused her to no end. Normally, a kid his age would be cheering and acting superior, but this boy was being very mature and understanding. She could feel herself becoming more and more interested in him, despite their age difference. She stood up and walked over to her Growlithe, but Ranma stopped her.

"Let me take care of her," he told her as he approached the fainted Pokèmon.

"I don't know," said Jenny. "I should take her to Nurse Joy."

"I'm a Pokèmon Handler, this is easy for me," he told her as he knelt down to check the Growlithe. As he felt for any broken bones, he couldn't help but be proud of how well Magikarp had done. Now all he had to do was find a proper name for her.

After doing a quick check, Ranma started rubbing a healing salve onto the spot where Magikarp had nailed the pup. After he had enough on, he wrapped the area with bandages, making sure that they weren't too tight. After he was satisfied, he took a vial out of his pack and waved it in front of Growlithe's nose. She awoke with a snort and a sneeze. Ranma softly scooped her up in his arms before handing her to Jenny.

"There you go. She'll be fine with a couple days rest," he told her. "The salve that I used will cut the healing time in half, but she still needs to rest. I'd advise that you put her in her pokèball."

Officer Jenny nodded as she took out her pokèball and pointed it at her Growlithe.

"Good job, girl. You deserve a break. Return," she told her as the pokèball did its job. She shrunk the ball before attaching it to her belt.

Ranma smiled softly at her, making her blush, before turning to his Growlithe.

"Alright buddy, time for you to take a rest," Ranma told him as he pulled out Guardian's pokèball. The beam of light hit him squarely and he returned to his pokèball. Ranma then made the motion of putting it back on his belt, but instead, he put it into subspace with Raigeki's pokèball and Magikarp's. He didn't feel that they were safe on his belt, so he only kept empty pokèballs on his belt. After doing that he turned back to Jenny.

"Hey, how about I treat you to lunch, okay?" he asked her as his stomach let out a little growl.

Jenny giggled, but she calmed down a little at his pout.

"Alright, I know this nice little diner down the street. Hop in," she told him as she put on her helmet.

Ranma just smiled as he said, "Race ya there."

Jenny just revved up her motorcycle. This was going to be easy.

* * *

"I still can't believe that you got here first," Jenny said to Ranma as they waited for their food. 

"I'm just full of surprises," Ranma told her with a smirk.

Instead of getting angry, Jenny felt her heart flutter when she looked at him. She quickly looked away, a blush on her pretty face. This made Ranma's smirk grow into a full blown smile.

"Something wrong?" he asked innocently.

"No, I…have something in my eye," she quickly said as she made a show of rubbing her eye.

"If you say so," Ranma said, not at all fooled by her performance.

* * *

After they got their food, they talked about unimportant things, like family, friends, funny stories, things like that. After about twenty minutes, Jenny asked him about what he was doing away from Pallet Town. Ranma was about to reply when a huge explosion came from the forest. 

"What was that?" asked Jenny.

"I believe they call that, an 'explosion'," Ranma told her as if talking to a child.

Jenny just glared at him. Ranma smirked before turning serious.

"Alright, here's the plan. You stay here and radio for back-up while I go check out the explosion. When you get enough people, maybe ten or so, go to where the explosion was," Ranma told Jenny firmly.

"Ranma, be careful, okay?" Jenny said worriedly.

Ranma gave her a smile that made her heart beat faster and made her face warm.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," he assured her.

Ranma then put down some money and ran out of the diner. Jenny just sighed as she grabbed her radio.

"Attention, all units. I'm reporting an explosion in Viridian Forest and request back-up."

* * *

Ranma ran past the people of Viridian City, appearing as nothing more than a blur. On the outside, he was the pinnacle of calm, but on the inside, he was very worried. If that explosion was man-made, there would be trouble as it was probably done for a reason. But if it was Pokèmon caused, that he could handle. He'd simply treat the Pokèmon involved and take them back to the Pokèmon Center. He mentally shook his head as he put those thought to the side and prepared himself as he saw the edge of the forest come into view. He had to slow down as he ran into the forest as to not hurt himself. He looked around and saw that there was smoke coming from the west, so he jogged in that direction. He was about halfway there when he heard people approaching. He didn't know who they were, so he looked around and dived behind some bushes. He knelt down and waited for them to pass, noting that they were coming from the direction of the blast. He mentally cursed. The blast was probably man-made. He peeked through the bush and saw that the people who were running by had a big red R printed on their shirts. His eyes widened as he recognized that symbol. These people were Team Rocket members. He had to fight down the urge to go out and beat the crap out of them on principle, but the thought of any injured Pokèmon kept him hidden. Once they had passed, Ranma got up and ran towards the blast zone, praying that he wasn't too late. When he got there, his spirit lifted when he didn't see any hurt Pokèmon, but his mood crashed when his keen eyes saw a faint blood trail leading north, through an overgrown, thorny trail. That was probably why Team Rocket had to go around, taking the long way. Ranma wanted to get to the injured Pokèmon first so he could help it, so he merely pulled his hands back and cupped them, focusing his ki. 

"Moko Takabisha!" he yelled as he threw his hands forward. A blue-white ball of ki-flames flew forwards and exploded, clearing away the overgrowth easily. Ranma smirked. He had just cleared the trail in one easy move. His smirk disappeared at the thought of the injured Pokèmon. He took off at a sprint, hoping to get there before Team Rocket did.

Ranma followed the trail until it led to the source. Unfortunately, Ranma had lost the trail a few times so he arrived just as Team Rocket did. Ranma had enough time to see that the blood led to a small huddling form, a few feet away from him. He looked over at Team Rocket, a fire burning in his eyes. He would make them pay.

"Go away, little boy," said one of the people in front of the group. "Go away and you won't be hurt."

"Like I'm afraid of a pathetic bully like you. You're nothing but scum," Ranma told them as he took two pokèballs from his 'belt'.

"Go, Guardian, Raigeki."

The two pokèballs opened and let out Ranma's Pokèmon, both of them ready to fight for their Master. Ranma threw his backpack over to the side after removing his staff. He didn't see the small Pokèmon he was defending wake up just in time to see him get ready for Team Rocket. It let out a whimper as Ranma charged at them as they took out their pokèballs and threw them. It then slipped back into unconsciousness.

Ranma reached his opponents just as their Pokèmon appeared. Ranma used his staff and smacked a Ratatta over the head, knocking it out. Guardian used his Flamethrower on an Ekans and a Grimer. He then got hit by a Wartortle's Water Gun attack, but the Wartortle's trainer was shocked when Guardian just shook off the water and smashed the Wartortle into a tree, knocking it out. Raigeki shocked several Beedrills and Mankeys, sending them into unconsciousness. Ranma ducked under a sloppy right hook and replied with a thrust with his staff, knocking the air out of the man's lungs. Ranma left him gasping for air, turning to catch a punch aimed for his head. He grinned as he squeezed the man's hand, causing it to pop as several fingers were dislocated. The man screamed in agony as he attempted to free his hand. Ranma smirked as he felt someone attempt to blind-side him. He ducked underneath the woman's swing and turned, still holding onto the man's hand, throwing him at the woman. They tumbled into a heap and Ranma looked around for his next opponent. He saw that they were keeping a safe distance from him. He grinned as he thought of a new technique. He took off his hat and charged it with his ki, like what Ryoga would do with his bandanas, except he wasn't making it super-sharp, he was making it super-hard. He then threw it at the first person and watched as it rebounded off their head and hit the next person, and the next, and the next, and so on. Ranma had to fight off the urge to do a battle yell for some strange reason. After catching his hat on the rebound, he then turned to watch his friends finish off Team Rocket's Pokèmon.

"Alright guys, let me take care of the rest," he said to his Pokèmon as he decided to test out a move he had been perfecting.

As Guardian and Raigeki backed off, Ranma started to swirl his aura around himself as he moved into the very center of the group. As his aura swirled faster, rocks began to move as the wind picked up. Suddenly, Ranma flared his aura and shouted out his move.

"Hiryu Shoten Ha!" he shouted as he threw an uppercut and a tornado appeared, sending Team Rocket blasting off into the distance.

* * *

After making sure that Team Rocket wasn't coming back, Ranma turned to the Pokèmon that he had saved. Upon closer inspection, the wounds on the Pokèmon weren't that bad. As Ranma approached, the Pokèmon woke up. 

"Mew?" /Huh/ said the cat-like Pokèmon.

"Ahhh! Cat!" yelled Ranma as he turned to run away. He had only taken five steps when he ran face first into a low hanging tree limb, knocking himself out cold.

(From now until Ranma wakes up, the Pokèmon will be speaking normally.)

"What's his problem?" asked Mew.

"I don't know," said Raigeki, shrugging his shoulders.

"I do. Ranma is afraid of cats. He's never had to be around them because the Professor knew and took care of all the cat types at the lab," Guardian told them his Master's little secret.

"I feel so sad, that someone so brave has such a weakness," said Mew sadly.

"I never knew," Raigeki told them in shock. He was so surprised because Ranma seemed like he didn't have any weaknesses.

Mew then got a determined look to her face. She was going to help this human who had so selflessly helped her when she was helpless. She floated over to his prone form and sat down next to his head. She leaned forward and rested her head against his. She was a powerful psychic, but what she was going to do was going to take her to her limits and she was going to need physical contact to do this. She took a deep breath before beginning, Guardian and Raigeki taking up guarding positions.

* * *

Mew looked around as she entered Ranma's mind, not knowing what she was going to find. As she looked around, she saw six doors. The first door led to a room that was very bright and full of children's toys. In one corner a small boy, no more than five, was finger-painting. Mew floated over to him, the boy turning as if he sensed her approach. 

"Kitty!" he called out as he stood up and walked over to her.

"Who are you, child?" asked Mew telepathically.

"I'm Ranma," the child replied as he sat down.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I'm waiting for Mama to come with Papa so we can go to the park," he told her, smiling at the mention of the park.

"What were you doing over there in the corner?" Mew asked him curiously.

"I was finger-painting. Papa gave me a sheet of paper to paint on. But he told me not to paint on the top, only on the very bottom," Ranma explained to her.

Mew floated over to the sheet of paper, and using her telepathy to translate it, read the contents of the paper. Once she got to one certain part, her eyes widened to their fullest. This was a contract that said that if he didn't meet his mother's standards, he would have to kill himself. Mew floated back to Ranma.

"Ranma, do you know what the words on that paper mean?" she asked him seriously.

"No, Papa just told me to paint on it. I like painting, it's fun!" exclaimed the little boy.

"Ranma, you just signed a contract that will have dire consequences later on!" she told him firmly.

Ranma got confused by her words. "Consequences? Is that something that I can eat?" he asked her.

Mew sighed as she thought about how to say it so that he would understand. "Ranma, you made a promise by painting on that paper, that if you don't keep that promise, you will be forced to kill yourself," she tried to explain to him.

Ranma's eye widened. "No, you're lying. Papa wouldn't make me do that!" he told her firmly.

"Actually, it's your Mother's decision," Mew told him softly.

Ranma froze in shock. His Mother was going to kill him if he didn't keep this promise? He didn't want to believe the strange floating cat, but her words had a ring of truth to them that he couldn't deny. He slowly started to fade away, the room fading away with him.

Mew was shocked at first, but then she realized that Ranma's mind was merely mending itself, undoing the damage that had been done to it. Her resolve was firmed and she swore to help heal this human of the damage to his mind.

* * *

Mew found herself back at the doors, except one door was missing. She floated to the one next to the one she had gone into the first time. Inside was a training hall, the type used by Martial Artists. Mew had seen some of these in her travels, so she knew the basic layout. She looked around and saw that an older boy was here. He looked to be about sixteen human years old. He had an aura of confidence and pride, she noted as she watched him perform his techniques. Suddenly, he turned around and got into a defensive stance. She was surprised as she hadn't even moved. 

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Mew. I've come to help you," she told him as she floated closer.

Once Ranma got a good look at her, he started to get scared. Mew had a feeling of what was going to happen, so she decided to head him off.

"Don't worry. I'm not a cat," she assured him.

"O-Ok, then what are you?" he asked as he suppressed his fear, barely.

"I'm a Pokèmon," she told him proudly.

Ranma got a confused look to his face. "A what?" he asked.

Now it was Mew's turn to be surprised. "You don't know what a Pokèmon is? How could this be?" said Mew.

She then took a closer look at him. She noticed some big differences that she had overlooked at first. Like, he had his hair in a pigtail, instead of having it short like she had seen during the fight. Another thing was that he was older, and had more scars than before. She concluded that this wasn't the same Ranma that had protected her from Team Rocket.

"What is your name?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm Ranma Saotome, greatest Martial Artist in the world," he told her arrogantly. As far as he knew, he was the best.

Definitely not the same boy, she concluded.

"Don't be too cocky, boy," Mew warned him. "There is always someone out there stronger than you." Mew had learned that the hard way when she had been beaten by Team Rocket and had to run for her life.

"Like I'm going to listen to a stupid flying cat-like thing," Ranma said flippantly as he turned to go back to practicing.

Mew's eyes flashed dangerously. She shoved her hand forwards and sent him flying through the air. He recovered mid-fight and landed on his feet, facing her.

"What the heck was that?" he asked in shock.

"Who's stupid now, little boy?" taunted Mew.

"Why you little…" said Ranma as he ran towards her and jumped into the air, spinning as he went, before lashing out his foot at her. His foot stopped a good two feet away from her as she created a pink bubble to protect her. His foot just went into the bubble a little way before sending him flying backwards. He flipped in mid-air so he landed on his feet, before running towards her and throwing punches that were all stopped by the bubble. He tried everything that he could think of for ten minutes, but nothing worked, not even when he started using his ki to boost his abilities. He finally stopped, panting his exhaustion. Mew floated over to him before tapping him with her tail, knocking him over. She started giggling when he landed with a loud thud.

Ranma was shocked. He had lost to an alien! No, wait, it said that it was a Pokèmon. That name rang a bell, like he should have known it, but he just couldn't remember where he had heard it before. His whole world came crumbling down. He was no longer the best, beaten by this creature. As he came to grips with this, he started to fade away, like he was never there. The room started to fade as well. Mew just sighed as another fragmented piece of Ranma's mind healed itself.

* * *

Mew once again found herself facing the doors, now there were only four. She decided to try the third door, instead of the first one. Inside, she found a room that was divided in half, one side was devoted to fighting and everything Martial, the other was all pink and frilly, all things girly were there. Makeup, shoes, clothes, shoes, dresses, and posters of male models. 

"I'm glad that you finally arrived," said a voice from behind the door.

Mew whirled around to face the person, shocked at not detecting her before she had spoken.

"Don't be scared, Mew," the voice said as it got closer.

"Who are you?" Mew asked as she prepared to let loose a psychic blast at the person.

The person stepped into the light, revealing a young girl with red hair and an ample figure. She wore her hair in a loose ponytail and had on a very pretty dress. However, Mew knew that she could still fight in that dress if the need for fighting came up.

"My name is Ranko. I once had another name, but that is my name now," she told the floating cat.

"How do you know who I am?" asked Mew as she readied herself to flee.

"I have been watching you go through Ranma's mind, healing the damage that his father has done," said the girl as she walked over to a chair and sat down, motioning for Mew to do the same. "Though, there is one section that has been created by Ranma on his own. It was created to protect him from the horrors of his past."

"What do you mean?" Mew asked as she floated over to the bed and sat down on it.

"What I mean is that there are things in his past that would have crippled any normal person. However, Ranma is anything but normal. After all, he has me with him," Ranko told her as she started sharpening one of her swords.

"What do you mean by that? You mean to say that you're not a part of him?" Mew asked in shock.

"Yes and no," Ranko said with a sigh. "I am the spirit of a girl who drowned in a magical spring, a long time ago. When Ranma fell in that spring, he took on my body. Normally, only my body goes with a person, but with Ranma, my spirit went with him as well. As time went by, I finally found out why."

"Do tell," urged Mew.

"Ranma had no feminine side. His father had beaten out any traces of femininity from Ranma at an early age. Poor Ranma was only half a person when he fell into my spring. Now I take the place of his feminine side, so that he will be in balance. The problem is that ever since he used that stupid mirror, the magic binding me here with him has faded. All that is keeping me here is my stubbornness and the bond that I have forged with Ranma," said Ranko sadly. She then turned to Mew. "But you could help us become one. I can't because I'm only a spirit without any power, but you are obviously a very powerful being to be able to penetrate Ranma's barriers. You could help us become whole."

Mew sat back to think about all that Ranko had told her. She couldn't just leave this poor soul here to just fade away, but there was a question that she had to ask.

"How will this effect Ranma?" Mew asked her seriously.

"Ranma will be more in touch with his feminine side and will be able to assume my form at any time he wants. He will also get my skills from my past life. I was a very capable warrior and a skilled swordswoman. He won't have any bad side-effects, I promise. He will finally be a whole person, especially after you finish with his mind," Ranko assured her firmly. She wanted this more than anything.

Mew sighed as she decided to help. This wasn't going to be easy. Mending minds was a relatively easy task, but merging two beings, that was unheard of before. She nodded to Ranko. "How do I do this?" she asked.

"Just help me meld my mind to Ranma's," Ranko told her as she took one last look at the place she had called home for so many years.

Mew floated over to Ranko and put her paws on Ranko's forehead. Before she started, Ranko said one more thing.

"Thank you."

* * *

After melding Ranko with Ranma, Mew found herself facing three doors. She felt sad, but happy that Ranko was at peace within Ranma's mind. She faced the first door and opened it, expecting to see another room. Instead, all she found was an empty clearing, like the one where she had fainted. As she looked around, she heard a growling from behind her. As she turned, she caught a glimpse of a ten year old Ranma running to hide behind another tree. 

"Don't worry, Ranma, I'm not going to hurt you," she sent out telepathically.

Hesitantly, Ranma crept out from behind a bush and came towards her, walking like a cat.

"Ranma? Are you okay?" Mew asked him.

"Meow?" said Ranma as he came closer to her.

"Ranma?" Mew said as he came even closer. She sent out her mind to touch his, but wished she hadn't when she did. She got a jumbled collection of thoughts and instincts, ones belonging to a cat instead of a boy. There was one image she got before he growled and jumped at her. A dark pit filled with glowing red eyes.

* * *

"Ranma, stop this at once," Mew pleaded with Ranma as he chased her through the forest of his mind. He kept yowling at her and trying to slash her with his 'claws'. His claws happened to be two foot long glowing red ki claws, and when she tried her shield bubble, the claws popped it and went straight at her. 

Finally, Mew had enough. She turned around and sent a Psychic attack right at him while he was in mid-jump. He went flying straight back and crashed through a tree. He slammed into the tree behind the first one and crumpled to the ground. Mew quickly flew over to him to see if he was alright. She got here just as he woke up. She slowed to a stop, expecting him to resume attacking her. Instead, he just shook his head as if waking up from a long sleep and tried to stand up, his legs shaky from not being used like that for so long. He looked up at her with scared eyes.

"Where am I?" he asked in a scared voice.

"You're safe, Ranma," Mew told him.

"Who are you? Where is Papa?" asked Ranma as he tried to walk.

"Ranma, what is the last thing that you remember?" Mew asked curiously.

"Papa said that he was going to make me the best Martial Artist in the world, all I had to do was learn this one technique. He then tied me up with fish stuff and threw me into a pit. The last thing I can remember is glowing red eyes," Ranma told her with a shudder.

Mew floated over to him and put her paw on his cheek.

"Don't worry Ranma. You can't be hurt by them anymore," she told him softly.

"You mean it, Kitty?" he asked as he wiped away the tears that had started to form.

"Yes Ranma, I mean it. You're safe now," Mew told him softly.

"Promise?" he asked her again.

"I promise, Ranma," she said.

Ranma sighed as he started to fade away, along with the forest.

* * *

Mew now had her goal in sight, only two more doors. She looked at the and noticed that they were different. The door on the left was a pitch black color and was made of metal, while the door on the right was a deep burgundy color and made of wood. Mew looked back and forth between the two before deciding to go through the metal door. On the other side of door number one was a rooftop. And sitting on the edge was a grown up Ranma. Mew floated over to him and waited for him to talk. 

"I was wondering when you were going to get here," Ranma told her softly.

"What do you mean, Ranma?" Mew asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.

"I'm not like my other counterparts. You see, I'm more active than the others. Though my child side wasn't active at all," he told her. "All I do is sit here and keep an eye on the others. I knew that you would eventually get to me after I felt the others disappear."

"Why do you just sit here? Surely there are better thing you could do," Mew commented.

"The truth is, I'm so depressed that I no longer have the energy to do anything but sit here and think," Ranma replied.

"Why are you depressed? Surely it couldn't be that bad," Mew told him as she sat down next him.

"You haven't had to live my life," he said sadly. He then looked over at her. "Do you want to here about it?"

At her nod Ranma began to tell her everything, from his childhood, to the training, to the falling into the spring of drowned girl and what happened afterwards, he told her everything. When he got to what happened in Nerima, he got more and more depressed. Finally, he told her about the Blood Mirror.

"I thought that after using it, I wouldn't have to feel this way, but instead all that happened was that I got fractured again. Now I have another part of me, the one that is in control. Now I have nothing else to do but sit here and think," Ranma told Mew with a sigh.

"What if you joined with the others, be one again?" Mew suggested.

"If I could, I would," said Ranma as he looked up at the stars.

Mew tried to think about what she could do to get him out of this funk he was in. She thought about fighting him, like what she had done with his younger self, but discarded that idea after looking into his eyes. They were the eyes of a man who had nothing left. She then perked up, that had given her an idea.

"Have you tried accepting the past?" she asked.

Ranma looked at her, confusion written on his face. "What do you mean?" he asked her.

"I mean, you keep thinking about the past, right?" At his nod, she continued. "Instead of just thinking about it and doing nothing, why don't you accept that it happened and that you can't change it. If you can do that, then you can finally let go of what is keeping you from joining the others."

Ranma thought hard about this. Accept the past? Was that even possible? The past had caused him so much pain and suffering, he just wanted to forget it. But why did he keep thinking about it if he wanted to forget it? Ranma was getting confused by this.

"How?" he asked. "How do I accept it?"

"By realizing that the past is apart of you. It is what makes you yourself. By accepting yourself, you accept the past," Mew told him softly.

"How do I do that?" he asked in a whisper, but Mew's acute hearing caught what he said.

"I don't know, Ranma. You have to figure that out on your own," said Mew.

Ranma just sat there, thinking, until he finally figured out how to finally accept who he was. He had been sitting on his butt for so long, doubting his abilities, that he had forgotten what made him Ranma. It was his spirit, his will to never lose. By doing nothing, he was giving up on life, giving up in general. Ranma took a deep breath… and stood up. He stood up and yelled his defiance to the heavens above. His yell echoed as he started to fade away, but not before he turned to Mew with a happy face. He faded away, along with the room and Mew was once again looking at a door. This time, however, there was only one door. With a happy sigh, she opened the door. Inside was a lab, with the Ranma she had seen fighting to protect her grinding something with a mortar and pestle.

"Come on in," he told her without turning. "I've been expecting you for a while now." He then pointed to a tea setting and a couple of cushions on the floor. He then turned around while corking a bottle and set it on a counter.

"I want to thank you, Mew. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you have helped me become who I was supposed to be. I never realized that I was so messed up inside," he told her while pointing to his head. He then poured her some tea before pouring himself some tea. He drank some and sighed in pleasure.

Mew looked at the cup before lifting it and taking a sip. Her eyes widened at how good it tasted. She quickly drained the cup of tea before mewing in pleasure. Ranma let out a laugh at the contented look on her face, but then his face turned serious.

"I'm afraid that it is time for you to leave my mind, Mew. I appreciate what you have done, but I have to do the rest on my own," he said firmly. At her worried look, he let out a little laugh. "Don't worry. All I have to do is fully integrate the others with me. After that, I'll wake up."

Mew nodded before beginning the transition out of his mind. As she came back to awareness, she realized that her wounds had healed completely. She looked around for Ranma's two Pokèmon as they weren't where they were before. She developed a sweatdrop when she saw them playing cards next to Ranma's dropped backpack. With a smile and a shout, Raigeki laid down his cards.

"Full House!" he exclaimed.

Guardian grumbled about how he never won while handing over his pile of treats they were playing with. When he looked over to see how Mew was doing, his eyes widened when he saw that she was awake.

"Mew! You're awake. How's Ranma doing?" Guardian asked her while bounding over.

"He's fine. There's nothing more I can do for him. He'll wake up when he's ready," she told him and Raigeki who had scampered over after Guardian.

"In the mean time," said Raigeki, "how about we play some cards?" He held up the cards they had been using.

* * *

Half-an-hour later, Raigeki was muttering about he was never playing with a psychic Pokèmon ever again as he handed her the rest of his treats. Mew just smiled at him. 

Ranma woke up to the sight of them sitting around playing cards. He looked around, the world a much brighter place to be after finally becoming a whole person. He was curious about one thing though. He could now tell where each of his Pokèmon was without even looking.

(I'll ask Mew about it later,) he thought as he sat up.

(Ask me about what?) Said a voice in his head.

Ranma fell back to the ground in shock.

(What the hell?) He shouted mentally. From his position on the ground, he saw Mew wince. (How can I hear you in my head?)

(I guess that when I went into your mind, I formed a mental bond with you and awoke a latent psychic power,) Mew told him as she floated over to him.

Ranma's face went pale. (Does this mean that you have to stay with me? I don't think that I could handle taking away your freedom,) he said as he sat up again.

(It wouldn't be like that, Ranma. After seeing into your mind and hearing about your past, I want to stay,) she told him, Guardian and Raigeki looking on curiously. To them, all Ranma and Mew were doing was looking at each other.

(Mew, you deserve a better life than being someone's Pokèmon. You deserve to be free, without a care in the world. I can't take that away from you,) Ranma said as shook his head.

(Ranma, perhaps you aren't listening. I…want…to…stay! I know more about you than you do. Anyway, you can't take away my freedom if I willingly go with you,) Mew told him, smirking as only cats can.

"Gods you're stubborn!" Ranma said out loud. "Fine, but you are free to leave whenever you want to go."  
"Mew, Mew Mew Mew Mew Mew!" /Sure, but don't count on me leaving/ Mew told him as he pulled out an empty pokèball.

"You know, I've already got a name for you," he told her. "You're like my personal Cat Goddess. So I'll call you Bast, Goddess of Cats."

Mew thought about it for a few seconds before mewing her approval. All cats are a little vain and she liked being named after a Goddess.

Ranma smiled as he let the pokèball fly. After Bast had been captured, he caught the ball and put it in subspace. He then turned around as he heard footsteps, but relaxed when he saw that it was Officer Jenny with her backup. As she looked around, she turned her gaze to Ranma with a questioning look.

"What happened here?" she asked him.

"Had a little run in with Team Rocket, but I sent them flying with one of my techniques," he replied with a smirk. "On the upside, I made a new friend."

"Can I meet your new friend?" she asked him patiently.

Ranma shook his head. "I'd rather you didn't. She's a little shy," he told her firmly.

Jenny was about to argue, but she saw in his eyes that he wasn't budging on the issue. She let out a sigh as she let this one slide. She then turned to the others in her group.

"Alright, start searching for Team Rocket. I'll take him back to central to get his statement," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" they said as one. They then began searching the forest.

* * *

After Jenny took Ranma's statement, Ranma started back off towards Pewter City. She had managed to get him to promise to visit her next time he was in Viridian City. After Ranma got to the forest, he let Bast out to float around, not wanting to keep her cooped up. As he watched her float around, he couldn't help but smile at her energy as she darted around trees and flew through the air. He knew that his journey was going to be a lot different from now on.

* * *

I'm still taking votes on who I should pair Ranma up with. I got an overwhelming amount for Sabrina, but this wouldn't be Ranma if he didn't have a few girls going after him. So I'm trying to decide who should take up the second and third spots. 

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense (Sage scented).


	6. Chapter Five

This is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends. Yes, this is the disclaimer that never ends; yes it goes on and… (SMACK) Ouch. No, not the head! Don't pull that! Why I ought ta… Ite! Okay, I don't own anything but the plot. Happy now? Sheesh! Hey, put away the chainsaw! Mommy!

**

* * *

Chapter Five**

Ranma sighed as he wandered around Viridian Forest. He looked to his left, then to his right.

"Sorry to use your line, Ryoga, but where on Earth am I now?" he asked as he turned to his left and kept walking.

Bast floated down to him from above the trees.

"Mew, mew mew meeew." /Ranma, you're going the wrong way. / she told him.

"Ok, then which way do I go, Bast?" he asked, slightly frustrated at being lost.

Mew just pointed behind Ranma. Ranma rolled his eyes as he turned around and headed the right way.

* * *

Ranma stopped at a clearing just as the sun was setting. He let Guardian out, as he had been put in earlier because he had gotten tired from all the walking. Raigeki just poked his head out of Ranma's backpack and jumped down, landing on Guardian's head. Guardian growled at him, but Raigeki just pulled his lower eyelid down and gave Guardian a raspberry. That caused Guardian to start chasing Raigeki around the clearing, Bast just floating around, watching the two of them. Ranma laughed as he went to work setting up camp.

"Hey, you two, get over here and help me," Ranma called out to his Pokèmon.

They immediately separated from their wrestling to go help Ranma. They went to the opposite side of the tent Ranma was setting up and grabbed the rope. Together, they managed to get the tent set up quickly. Dinner was a quiet affair; everyone was still tired from the earlier fight. After dinner, Ranma stretched and turned to his Pokèmon.

"Alright guys, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late," Ranma told them as he headed into his tent.

"Pika." /Okay./ said Raigeki as he pulled out his deck.

"Gruff." /Sure./ came from Guardian as he sat down next to Raigeki.

"Mew, mew mew me mew mew." /Okay, I'll make sure they get to bed. /

Nothing came from Ranma's Magikarp as she had been put away earlier. Ranma smiled as he ducked inside his tent and changed into his pajamas. He stretched and climbed into his sleeping bag, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Ranma woke up the next morning with a yawn and a stretch. However, when he stretched, he felt a sharp pinch from his clothes, as if they were too small. He passed it off as he had just bought them right before he left Pallet Town. However, when he stood up, he felt a draft from his ankles, stomach, and wrists. He looked down and his eyes widened.

"What the heck?" he shouted as he looked at his exposed skin. He quickly ran out of his tent, noting in passing that his center of balance was suddenly higher. He knelt beside a nearby pond and looked at his reflection. He had definitely changed. His face no longer had any baby-fat and was more angular than before. His hair had also lengthened, but a quick visit to the barbers would get rid of that. He backed away from the pond, shaking slightly. He tried to come up with an explanation for this, this, whatever this was. He took some deep breaths, trying to calm down. As he calmed down, he compared his new body to his old one. He guessed that he had gone from the age of twelve to the age of fifteen or sixteen...overnight!

Ranma slowly walked back to his tent, his mind preoccupied.

"Mew! Mew Meww Meeww/Ranma! What happened to you/ Bast exclaimed as she floated over to him.

"I-I don't know," said Ranma as he sat down on a nearby log.

Raigeki and Guardian scampered over to him, sniffing him once they got to him. Once they were sure that it was him, they jumped onto him, knocking backwards.

"Piika Chu?" /What happened/ asked Raigeki from Ranma's chest.

"Gruff! Grr bark." /Yeah! Now spill. / came from Guardian.

Ranma tried to think of an explanation, but the only thing he could come up with was…

"The dream!" Ranma exclaimed suddenly.

"Meeeww." /Of course. / Bast said in understanding.

Raigeki and Guardian looked at each other, held out their paws, and shook them three times.

"Pika!" /Rock/

"Gruff!" /Scissors/

Guardian sat back to sulk as Raigeki turned towards Ranma with a smirk.

"Pi Pika Pi Chu 'Pikachu'?" /What on Earth do you mean by 'The Dream'/ Raigeki asked Ranma.

"Well," Ranma began as he sat up, dumping Raigeki onto his lap, "when Bast went into my mind, it was like a dream. I don't remember much, but from what I do remember, Bast helped each of the fragmented pieces of my mind merge into one whole piece. I can only speculate that that, combined with the residual magic of the mirror that brought me here, resulted in me growing in age. I am curious though as to why I only aged to fifteen instead of eighteen or even twenty."

All he got in response was shoulder shrugs from his friends.

* * *

Raigeki sniffed the air as he made his way back to Viridian City. He turned to his companion.

"Pi, Pi Pika Pikachu Pi Pik Chu?" /Hey, are you sure that we're going the right way/ Raigeki asked as they continued walking.

"Grrrr, bark bark woof." /Yeah, just keep walking. /

* * *

Ranma sighed as he waited for his friends to get back. He felt bad about sending them into the city by themselves, but he could go as he didn't have any clothes that fit anymore, and he couldn't go naked. Though he was sure that Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy wouldn't mind that much. He sat back and pulled out his staff and concentrated. Red ki claws formed around fingers and he focused some more, eventually creating one claw around his whole hand. He had some carving he had been meaning to do for a while.

* * *

Raigeki and Guardian returned two hours later with Ranma's new clothes. Ranma brushed off his staff and set it aside. He knelt down and removed the package from Guardian's back. Ranma grabbed the clothes out of the package and immediately put them on. He was glad that he had only told them to get him sweatpants and a sweater. Even then, they were a little tight. He turned back to his partners.

"Ok, time to do some shopping."

* * *

Later, after upgrading his entire wardrobe, Ranma managed to find his way to Pewter City. His immediate reaction was to challenge the Gym Leader, but he decided to go to the Pokèmon Center to let his partners get a check-up. Afterwards, he headed over to the Gym.

"Pika, Pi Pi Pikachu Pika?" / Ranma, what kind of Gym is this/ Raigeki asked from on top of Ranma's head.

"I heard that it's a Rock-Type Gym. That means that I probably won't use you as you haven't perfected your attacks against Rock-Types," Ranma told him.

"Pi, Pika Pi Chu!" / No, I want to fight/ Raigeki exclaimed, smacking Ranma on the head.

Ranma chuckled as he walked. "We'll see."

Guardian just snickered as he trotted along next to Ranma. Raigeki glared at him, but then got an evil look to his face. He pointed one of his fingers at Guardian and let out a weak shock that struck Guardian on the butt. Guardian yelped and ran a head before stopping and glaring at Raigeki who just stuck his tongue out at him.

"Growl, bark, bark gruff bark bark." /Just remember, rodent, revenge is a dish best served cold. / Guardian said to Raigeki when Ranma had caught up to him.

"Pikachu Pika Chu Pikachu Pi Pikachu." /That's going to be difficult considering that you're a fire-type. / mocked Raigeki from the safety of Ranma's head.

* * *

As Ranma stepped into the Pewter City Gym, he got a sense of strength coming from the very room he was standing in. Everything was made out of either stone or wood. As he approached the dueling field, he noticed that there were tracks on the ground that led to secret compartment on the walls of the room. He kept an eye on them as he finally saw the Gym Leader.

"I challenge you for the Boulder Badge, Brock," declared Ranma.

"Very well, if you insist," Brock replied as he pressed a button.

Ranma heard a rumbling sound and saw the compartments he had noticed before open up and release an over-floor made of stone and boulders. Ranma waited until the floor was about to crush him before back-flipping away and landing in his dueling area. He dropped his backpack before taking out one of his pokèballs. Brock likewise took out one of his pokèballs.

"Pokeball go!" they both shouted at the same time, throwing their pokèballs onto the arena floor.

Brock's pokeball opened to reveal a Geodude, the unevolved form of Graveler and Golem. Ranma's pokeball opened to reveal… his Magikarp. Brock let out a laugh when he saw a Magikarp flopping around the stone floor.

"What an amateur, using a Magikarp against anything, let alone a Geodude. You have just lost this round," declared Brock as he struggled not to fall to the ground laughing.

Ranma just smiled a knowing smile. Brock didn't know about the intense training he had given his Magikarp on the way to Pewter City. A bell rang, signaling the beginning of the match.

"Geodude, tackle that fish!" yelled Brock as he made the first move.

"Magikarp, evade," said Ranma calmly.

Geodude missed Magikarp by a matter of inches. It turned around and tried again, missing the second time, and the third, and the fourth. Now it was Ranma's turn to laugh.

"What's the matter, Brock? Can't hit a weak Magikarp?" he taunted.

Brock let out a growl as he saw his Geodude start to tire and crash into the surrounding boulders.

Ranma smirked and decided to end the fight.

"Body Slam!" he yelled to Magikarp who nodded in reply before flinging herself into the air. She started to glow on her decent and when she hit Brock's Geodude, a giant dust cloud was formed. When the dust cleared, Brock's Geodude was out cold. Unfortunately, Ranma's Magikarp was out as well, the impact having knocked her out. It was with a greater respect that Brock recalled his Geodude, Ranma doing the same with his Magikarp.

"I have to say that I'm impressed. Who would have thought that someone could train a Magikarp so well? Tell me, what is your name?" said Brock as he took out another pokeball.

"Ranma Ketchum," replied Ranma as he took out Guardian's pokeball.

"Well, Ranma, I will almost feel sorry when I beat you. Almost," Brock said as he threw his pokeball.

"Onix, go!" he shouted.

A giant stone snake appeared made out of separate boulders. Ranma knew about them as he had to treat one at Professor Oak's lab once. Highly resistant to impacts, heat, invulnerable to electricity. However, it had one weakness that Ranma could use as he didn't have any water types. It had weak eye sight. A plan formed in Ranma's head.

"Guardian, go!" he yelled as he threw his pokeball.

* * *

Ain't I a stinker? Yup, I'm leaving this as a cliffhanger. Pointedly, it isn't much of one, but it's the thought that counts. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. If you want to send me ideas, I probably will put them into the story as long as they don't conflict with my plans for Ranma.

Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense. (Sage, for now.)


	7. Chapter Six

Once again, I own nothing but the plot and anything that I create. Got it? Capeesh? Good.

I decided to **not** discontinue this story and here is the next chapter.

* * *

"Mom, when is Ranma going to get here?" asked Ash impatiently.

"He'll get here when he gets here, Ash," replied Ms. Ketchum, for the fiftieth time that morning.

Ash wandered out of the kitchen where she was making lunch and resumed his post out by the fence, waiting for his big brother to come back for Ash's birthday. They had received a letter saying that he would make it back home for Ash's tenth birthday. So Ash had taken it upon himself to be the look-out for Ranma.

Ash never saw the shadow on the roof across the street, looking down at him, just watching. The figure slowly faded into the deepening shadows as it started to get dark.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Ash!" shouted the assembled guests later on that night.

Ash's smile wasn't very convincing as he was disappointed that Ranma had never arrived. Ash's mom came over to him.

"Look, Ash, I know that you're disappointed, but I'm sure that Ranma has a really good reason for not being here," she told him softly.

"Who said that I wasn't coming?" came a voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look at who it was and everyone was shocked by what they saw.

"Ranma?" asked Ash hesitantly. "Is that you?"

There in the doorway was an adult Ranma, with chiseled features and a long pony-tail going down to his butt. He wore his usual red shirt with a black leather jacket, along with his black pants. However, he no longer had jeans, he had instead had a custom set of pants made for him that were made out of a new material that was as tough as Kevlar, but was as soft as silk. His face sported a few scars that gave him a ruggedly handsome look. The most noticeable scars were three scars running parallel to each other, starting near his left temple and going diagonally across his face to his lower right cheek.

"What happened to you?" asked Mrs. Ketchum as she approached Ranma.

"Huh? Oh, the scars? They're from a close encounter of the Charizard kind," Ranma said dismissively as he dropped his backpack near the door. Immediately, Raigeki hopped out and ran over to Ash.

"Raigeki!" shouted Ash happily as he caught the electric rodent as it leapt at him.

"Traitor," muttered Ranma with a smirk. He then got serious. "Sorry I'm so late, but Ashy boy's present wasn't ready until about two hours ago," Ranma said as he gave his mom a hug.

"You got me a present?" asked Ash excitedly as he pet Raigeki.

"Yup, but you're not getting it until later," Ranma laughed at Ash's pouting face.

"Ranma, why do you look so old?" asked Professor Oak curiously.

"Growth spurt?" said Ranma nervously. "So did I miss the big event?"

"Not yet," said Professor Oak slowly as he eyed Ranma suspiciously.

"Later, Professor, later," Ranma whispered as he passed by him.

"Let's get this show on the road," Ranma said as he lifted Ash onto his shoulder easily as he walked to the dining room.

* * *

After everyone had eaten their fill of cake and ice cream, Ranma helped his mom bring out Ash's presents. Ash immediately started tearing into the presents, causing everyone to laugh at his eagerness. In the end, Ash got a new backpack, two new jackets, new shoes, and ten pairs of underwear (from his mom). After he had finished with the presents he had gotten, he turned to Ranma.

"Can I have my present now, Ranma?" asked Ash eagerly.

"Sure thing, Squirt," Ranma said as he pulled a small box from behind his back.

Ash snatched the box and took off the top. When he saw what was inside, his jaw dropped.

"A pokéball!" shouted Ash as he took out the ball.

"I hope you don't mind me giving Ash his first pokémon, Professor," said Ranma as Ash studied the ball.

"Not at all, Ranma," replied Professor Oak.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" asked Ranma as he nudged Ash slightly. "Open it."

"Pokéball go!" Ash cried as he tossed the ball into the air. There was a flash of light that materialized into a…

"A Pikachu!" exclaimed Ash as he ran to pick up his new pokémon.

"Careful Ash or he'll…" Ranma started to say.

ZAP! Thud!

"Shock you," finished Ranma lamely.

"I noticed," groaned Ash from the floor.

* * *

Sorry for not updating for so long and for saying that I was going to discontinue the story. I know that this chapter is short, but I wanted to get something out for my readers so that they all don't go away. 


	8. Chapter Seven

Once again, I own nothing but the plot and anything that I create. I'm sorry about that that last chapter, but this one should clear up some mysteries.

**Chapter Seven**

Ranma sighed as he relaxed on a lawn chair in the backyard of his mom's house. His left ear flicked a little as he heard someone walk up behind him.

"Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to sit down, Professor?" Ranma asked calmly.

"How did you know that it was me?" asked Professor Oak curiously as he took a seat on the chair next to Ranma.

"Trade secret," said Ranma with a smirk.

"What happened to you?" Professor Oak finally said after a long silence. "You left as a twelve year old, granted a mature looking twelve year old, and two years later, you're an adult. What happened?"

"You remember when you found me?" Ranma asked softly.

"Like it was yesterday," replied Professor Oak.

"I was eighteen years old before I used a magic mirror to escape the hell hole that I called life," explained Ranma for the first time to him. "It transported me here, to this dimension as a child. Not too long after I started my journey, my body absorbed the last of the residue magic. The side affect was that I grew up a little."

"Magic, huh? Well that explains quite a bit about you," stated Oak as he rubbed his chin. He then looked at his watch. "Well, it's late. I'll see you tomorrow, Ranma."

"Night, Professor," muttered Ranma as he stared up at the stars. He slowly fell asleep.

(Dream Memory)

"Go Onix!" cried Brock as he threw his second pokéball.

"Go Guardian!" shouted Ranma as he threw his second pokéball as well.

A giant snake made out of black boulders appeared and let out a roar. Brock smiled as he saw his magnificent pokémon declare its strength.

Ranma's ball let out a flash of light that formed a little puppy. When Guardian took one look at the Onix, he let out a growl, flattened his ears, and pulled his upper lip back to expose his teeth. He would protect his master at all costs.

"Guardian, relax, it's just a challenge," Ranma called out from his trainer's box. Guardian visibly relaxed as he heard his trainer's voice.

"Alright, let's rock!" shouted Brock as he started the second match. "Onix, smash him!"

Onix let out a roar as it lifted its head all the way to the ceiling and brought it down hard on the ground. When it lifted its head, it expected to see the little Growlithe knocked out cold. However, there was nothing but a crater where it had smashed. The rock snake looked around, confused as to where the puppy went to when a burst of fire flashed in front of its face, effectively blinding it temporarily. When Ranma had heard that the Gym in Pewter City was a rock-type Gym, he had started working with both Guardian and Raigeki on strategies to take down rock and ground-types. One technique was to blind them with a bright flash of light.

"Guardian, use _Hell's Fire_!" said Ranma as Guardian landed on the floor after jumping off Onix's head.

Guardian nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on the power that was his birthright. He felt it well up inside him, until it felt like he was going to explode. Just as Onix regained his eyesight, Guardian's eyes snapped open, the irises replaced by flame. He opened his mouth and roared, blue-white flames shooting out as he did. The flames coiled around Onix like a snake, totally enveloping it. Brock cried out in pain as he felt the heat from the fire. Even Ranma had to back away, such was the heat.

"Guardian, back it down," cried Ranma as he saw the Gym catch fire. "Back it down, now!"

As the flames died down, so did Onix. With a groan, the massive rock snake fell to the ground with a giant thud. Brock ran over to check on its condition, but when he touched it, he pulled his hand away with a cry of pain.

"Shit, he's hot," yelled Brock in pain. He then pulled out Onix's pokéball. "Onix, return."

Once Onix was safely back in his ball, Brock turned a curious gaze to Ranma.

"How the hell did that Growlithe do that?" shouted Brock.

"I don't know," replied Ranma, a little shocked at the power behind that move. "I didn't know that it would be so powerful."

"Here, take the badge and get out," Brock growled as he tossed the Gym badge to Ranma.

(End Dream Memory)

Ranma shot up with a start. There, next to him was Ash, looking a little scared.

"Are you okay, Ranma?" he asked. "You were talking in your sleep."

"Nah, I'm okay. Just a bad dream," Ranma replied with a yawn. There was no reason for him to tell Ash about what had happened at the Pewter City Gym.

"Oh, okay," Ash said, feeling a lot better. "Hey, why don't you take me out tomorrow and show me some tricks of the trade."

"I've got a better idea," Ranma said as he got up. "Why don't I just go with you on your journey?"

Ash's eyes widened. "Really? That would be awesome!"

"Yeah, well why don't we get some sleep?" said Ranma before heading inside.

Ash stayed outside for a few seconds before coming to terms with the fact that his big brother was coming with him on his journey.

* * *

"Ah, Ashy, I still can't believe that you're all grown up and going on your journey," Mrs. Ketchum said while wiping away her tears.

"Don't worry Mom, I'll take good care of Ashy-Poo," Ranma told her with a smirk.

"Ah, shut up, Ranma," grumbled Ash.

"Seriously, I'll keep him out of trouble," Ranma said, clearing his face.

"Good, and make sure he always has enough clean underwear," she said with a sniffle.

Both Ranma and Ash face-faulted, not believing that she said that.

"Mom! Please," pleaded Ash as he stood back up.

"I'm going to miss you so much," wailed Mrs. Ketchum as she grabbed both of them in a bone crushing hug.

"Mom…air!" gasped Ranma and Ash at the same time, both going a little blue.

Mrs. Ketchum let go of them and they sucked in fresh air. Ranma decided that discretion was the better part of valor and high-tailed it.

"Welllookatthetime! Got to go," he said in a rush. He grabbed his bag and booked it.

"Ranma! Get back here you coward!" Ash yelled at his brother. He sighed and gave his mom a quick kiss and a hug before following his brother's example and getting out there quick, before his mom embarrassed him even more.

Mrs. Ketchum turned back to the guests at her sons' going away party. She gave a shrug before starting to clean up.

* * *

"That was close," sighed Ranma as he stopped and waited for Ash to catch up. He had forgotten just how embarrassing his mom could get. While he waited, he decided to let his best-friends out. He pulled out two pokéballs and tossed them tow the ground. When the light disappeared, a Pikachu and an Arcanine were standing there. Ranma smiled as he looked at his two best friends.

"Hey, you guys," he called out to them.

The two of them tackled him to the ground and started tickling him and licking his face.

Ash came running up shortly after that, slightly out of breath.

"You…are a jerk," said Ash. "You know that?"

"So I've been told…repeatedly," replied Ranma as he sat up. Guardian stood aside and Raigeki hopped down from his spot on Ranma's head. Ranma stood up and put the two empty pokéballs away in sub-space. "You ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Ash replied as he tried to hide his nervousness.

"Stop being nervous, Ash," Ranma sighed as he saw his brother's nervousness. He shook his head, being overdramatic on purpose. "I leave for two years and you become a total wimp. How utterly sad."

"Shut up, Ranma," Ash said with a small blush of embarrassment. He was embarrassed because what Ranma said was true. "Come on, let's get going. Gary left for Viridian City an hour ago. I don't want to fall behind him too much."

"No problem, bro," Ranma said with a smirk. "I know a shortcut."

* * *

"Some shortcut!" Ash yelled as they ran from a flock of Fearow, whose nest they had walked through by accident.

"Hey, they weren't there two years ago," Ranma replied as he jogged along. In truth, he knew before hand that the flock was there, but he wanted to see how Ash handled himself out in the field. Ranma frowned as he got tired of the noise that the flock of Fearow was producing. He skidded to a stop, letting Raigeki slide down to his right hand before throwing him into the air. "Raigeki, you know what to do."

Raigeki let his electricity flow around him as he hit the first Fearow, then he pushed off from it as it fell to the ground, twitching, and flew towards the next one. That one he knocked out with a kick to the head. Raigeki repeated this procedure until the small flock was all unconscious. As Raigeki fell to the ground, Guardian ran forward and jumped into the air, allowing the smaller pokémon to land on his back. They both landed safely and Guardian ran back to Ranma, who rewarded the two of them with a smile of pride and some poke-treats.

Ranma turned back to find Ash staring at the knocked out Fearow with his jaw hanging. Ranma calmly walked over to Ash and put his finger under Ash's jaw, raising it back up to its closed position. "Come on, shrimp," Ranma said as he started walking away.

"But what about these Fearow? Can't I catch one?" Ash whined as he hurried to catch up.

Ranma stopped and turned around quickly, catching Ash by surprise. "You do not have the necessary skill in order to even train a Spearow, let alone a Fearow," Ranma snapped in annoyance. "If you want a Bird-Type then we'll get you a Pidgey. They're really easy to deal with, at least at first."

Ash hung his head sadly; he knew that Ranma was right. In the face of trouble he had panicked and ran instead of facing the problem head-on like his older brother did. He trudged along as they walked, so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice when Ranma stopped. As he turned around, he saw a myriad of different emotions pass across Ranma's face.

Ranma had been feeling a little guilty about being so harsh with Ash, after all Ash was only just starting his journey, but then his enhanced hearing had caught the sounds of a struggle not too far away. He stopped to consider what to do, but then he decided to check it out. "Ash, stay here. Look around the area for anything to catch," Ranma said as he took off his pack. "I'll be back in a little while." Before Ash could say anything, Ranma was gone, closely followed by Raigeki and Guardian.

* * *

Misty had been fishing peacefully when two people had appeared out of nowhere and attempted to steal her pokémon. "What do you think you're doing?" she shouted as she clutched her pokéballs to her chest.

"Hand over the balls, girl, and you won't get hurt," said a man with a gravely voice.

"We're going to have those pokémon, one way or another, so you best give them to use now," said a woman with long blonde hair.

"Raticate!" growled a very large rat.

"Leave her alone!" Ranma shouted as he appeared on the scene. The three of them looked at him before going back to what they were doing.

"Starmie, go get them!" Misty shouted as she threw one of her pokéballs. A large purple pokémon appeared in a flash of red light. It looked like two giant starfishes stuck together, but it was shiny and had a huge jewel in the center of its 'chest.'

Ranma left eye twitched as the three of them ignored him. He watched in amazement as the girl's Starmie put up a good fight, but was taken out with a massive hit to its jewel from Raticate. "Do you want my help now?" he asked sarcastically as he walked closer.

"Just who do you think you are?" asked the blond girl.

"Cassidy, I think that is the Gym Destroyer," the gravely voiced guy said as he looked closer at Ranma.

"Butch, don't be an idiot," Cassidy said as she slapped him upside the head. "The Gym Destroyer is just a myth!"

"Actually, your partner is right. I'm the one known as the Gym Destroyer, though I never mean to actually destroy those gyms, it just happens," Ranma told them with a shrug. He stopped about twenty feet away from them, with Raigeki and Guardian skidding to a stop behind him. Both of them glared at him before turning their attention to the two Team Rocket members.

"Oh, this is too good!" Cassidy shouted as she clapped her hands together in glee. "We can get this loser's pokémon and the Gym Destroyer too!"

"Hey! Who are you calling a loser?" Misty shouted in anger as she put away Starmie's pokéball. She had taken the opportunity to recall Starmie while Team Rocket was dealing with the new guy.

"Raigeki, Thunder Blast," Ranma said calmly. Raigeki used Ranma's head as a springboard and launched himself into the air. Once he was directly overhead, Raigeki let out a massive bolt of electricity that struck the ground between Butch and Cassidy. The shock from the blast flung the two of them in opposite directions. "Guardian, take the rat. Raigeki, take Cassidy."

Ranma ran after Butch, who hadn't even landed yet from his close encounter with Raigeki's Thunder Blast. He was slightly disappointed when Butch crumpled to the ground with one hit to the jaw, completely knocked out. Ranma turned and looked to see how Raigeki and Guardian were doing and let out a laugh. Raigeki was sitting on Cassidy's head, while the rest of her was buried in the dirt. And Guardian was dragging their Raticate by the tail; the giant rat was still kicking and clawing at the ground, trying to get away. Ranma looked closer and saw that its butt was very well done and there were a few patches of fur missing.

"You idiot! You destroyed my bike!" Misty screamed while holding up the charred remains of her bike.

* * *

Ok, I know this is short, hopefully a little longer than the last chapter. I have had major writer's block on this story and most of my other stories as well. Additionally, I have decided to take this story in a different direction than I originally planned.

Love it? Hate it? Please review. Flames will be used to light my incense. (Vanilla, for now)


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